Aulas wants season to be ended

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has called for the Ligue 1 season to end now, with no champion or relegation, after the league was suspended due to coronavirus.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) confirmed on Friday all matches in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 had been suspended until further notice in an attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19. It had been agreed earlier in the week that the matches would take place behind closed doors until April 15, but the decision was changed after advice from the French government.

On Tuesday, all 55 UEFA members are set to meet via video conference to discuss how to proceed, with all major European competitions now on hold, including the Champions League and Europa League. Aulas has now called on the LFP to end the domestic season now, meaning Paris Saint-Germain - 12 points clear at the top of the table - would miss out on the title.

Aulas wants European places to be awarded based on the current standings, although Lyon - in seventh - would miss out.

"The most logical thing would be to say we cancel everything and we start again on the situation at the start of the season, a white season," Aulas said in an interview with newspaper Le Monde.

 

March 13, 2020

"In any case, you have to look at what the regulations say. It is the only possible decision in this context. After the intervention of the president, I, as president of the Ligue 1 clubs, immediately asked the president of the FFF and the president of the LFP to make this decision. This was what was done democratically by bringing the office together."

Lyon had been due to face Juventus in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday. According to reports, UEFA are considering postponing Euro 2020 until 2021 in order to provide time for member nations to complete their domestic leagues, though it remains unclear when football will be able to resume across the continent.